Back For More
by CatalinaMarkow-aka-BornDiva
Summary: This story is a sequel to The Thought & The Coming. Please feel free to read it without reading TT&TC though. In this story Nina turns back time to the week when she murdered Faith. She hopes to do things able to, but will she? Or will she just let Faith
1. Back For More

* Authors note* this story is the sequel to me first story The Thought &  
The Coming. Without reading that story, you will not get the full effect of  
this one. So please, read and review The Thought and The Coming. You don't  
have to read the whole thing, just a few chapters to get the gist of it.  
Then you can refer back in for to see how the two stories mix. Hope you  
like them. *  
It wasn't long after Faith died that a new slayer was called. Neither Nina  
nor Buffy attempted to find her; they both just lived out their lives. They  
knew one was around, and also knew they would see her soon enough, but they  
didn't care. Buffy like Nina, had a lot of remorse after killing Faith, but  
not as much as Nina. Nina could hardly sleep at night anymore, and spent  
much of her time with Spike. He was the only person she could stand; the  
only person that seemed to even care for more then a day that Faith was  
gone. At night, or anytime really, if Nina did fall asleep, she would see  
her, Faith in her sleep. She could see their fight all over again; hear  
Faith's last words whispered in her ear. After about 2 months of these  
dreams she couldn't take it anymore, she wished she could go back to that  
night, that week even, and help Faith. She could tell Faith about the  
watcher's council, what they planned to do, and how bad she, Nina, wanted  
to help Faith. How bad she wanted Faith to come back to her and Buffy's  
side of the line. How even though it might not seem as fun, it could be.  
She sat there, on October 31st, under the full moon just outside Spike's  
crypt, praying to get a second chance. All of a sudden something went  
through her, she felt it, it was like an electric charge. She knew  
something had happened, something powerful, and she knew tomorrow would be  
different, in many ways. 


	2. The Thought & The Coming

"Faith wait! I can help you!" Yelled Buffy.  
"How B, by instilling in me, some of that goodie two shoes wisdom? No  
thanks," Yelled back Faith as she disappeared into the darkness.  
Buffy walked back to Giles, upset at the fact she couldn't help Faith. Why  
is she like that, thought Buffy. Why does she act like a killer, instead of  
a slayer? She's supposed to be on my side, one of the good guys.  
"I just can't understand it." She told Giles as she sat down to a cup of  
tea at his house. "No one can reach her. I can't, you can't, and Angel  
can't. It's like she's a brick wall. I wish there was another slayer, one  
who turned evil, but then came back to the good side, that could talk her  
this."  
"Actually there is." Murmured Giles. "I don't know why I didn't remember  
her before. You know that new singer, Nina Hunter. Well, she used to be a  
slayer. But after she died and came back to life, and you came, she didn't  
think there was a reason for her to stay around, so she went to pursue her  
other dreams. She had a rough life, and has killed someone before as well,  
just because she wanted him gone. I know she could reach Faith if she were  
here. Let me call her, and see what I can do."  
Well, Giles called, and Nina came. The day Nina came, the weather suddenly  
became cold. No one in Sunneydale had ever seen cold, and suddenly everyone  
was out to by a winter jacket. Giles new something was up, and called  
everyone to a meeting in the library.  
"I've called you all hear because of this sudden change in the weather. I  
think it has something to do with a frost demon by the name of Galilee.  
Because of the sudden activity and almost opening of the hell mouth, many  
demons have some to migrate here, and bring their deadly powers with them.  
Now I'm not sure exactly what else he will bring with him, I haven't found  
the book yet. So, I propose we go in to deep research mode. It may take us  
a couple days to find out the information on Galilee, considering how old  
of a demon he is."  
"Or maybe just a couple of hours," Said a voice from behind him.  
"Nina," said Giles as he turned, "Welcome back."  
"Thanks, "she said, letting the double doors to the library swing close  
behind her.  
In his head Xander couldn't stop thinking of the fantasies him and the new  
slayer could have. Boy was she hot. She was taller then both Buffy and  
Faith, of course it might have been the three inch heeled shoes, she wore  
black leather pants, a low cut white halter top, and a leather jacket. Her  
blonde hair was a little longer then shoulder length, but it couldn't hide  
her bright blue eyes and perfect face. She crossed the room, went up the  
stairs and grabbed a book off the shelves.  
"I believe this book will tell you everything you need to know on Galilee,"  
she told Giles handing him the book. Then she turned and crossed toward  
where the gang was sitting.  
"Hi," she said, "You must be Buffy."  
"Yep," answered Buffy, "And you're Nina. This is Xander, Cordiellia, Oz,  
Willow, and."  
"Angel," cut in Nina, embracing Angel.  
"Yeah," said Angel, "it's been a long time since we last saw each other  
though. How are you?"  
"Good," answered Nina, " How about you." "I'm the same. God you look  
great!" "Thanks."  
"Yeah," said a voice from behind her, "You do look great." 


	3. The Bad Act

"Spike?" Questioned Nina turning around to face him.  
"That's right baby," answered Spike coming toward her.  
"Spike, I don't know what you're thinking but we're not still together."  
"Are you sure about that?"  
"Yes. I have a new boyfriend, you know, one that can be seen in the light,  
I don't need you."  
"Whoa, hold on," cut in Buffy, "You used to go out with Spike?"  
"Actually yeah," Answered Nina.  
"Eww," Blurted Buffy, disgusted at even the thought of spending extra time  
with Spike.  
"Hold on," said another voice from behind them, "Are you telling me that  
every other slayer still living has screwed a vampire but me?"  
"You must be Faith," said Nina, turning once again to face another  
unexpected visitor.  
"Yeah, what's it to you," she said.  
"Well, I heard we were a lot a like," said Nina getting an idea. If she  
were going to get Faith to trust her she would have to pretend to be just  
as evil. "I heard our philosophies were extremely similar."  
"Oh yeah, what's that?" questioned Faith.  
"Want, take, have. We don't have to follow the law, we are the law,"  
answered Nina. "I say vampires should shake in fear every time they hear  
one of our names spoke, I say they should run from us, not hunt us, we're  
the hunters, not them."  
"I like your style," smirked Faith, "But it's impossible to work. Vampires  
and people in general are too stupid to fear what they're supposed to."  
"So I say we give them something to fear. I say we go hunt." Proposed Nina.  
She hoped Faith would look into her eyes and see the darkness that took  
over. That would be just enough to get Faith to do whatever she wanted. And  
Faith did look into them. She mirrored that same hate of vampires in her  
own eyes.  
"Alright," she said, "I'm up for a little fun."  
"Good," said Nina, "Then let's go make those vampires crawl."  
Nina then took something out her pocket; it was a knife, but different then  
normal ones. It shone bright silver, as if it were made of light, not  
mettle. Faith liked it immediately.  
"What's that," she asked, trying to sound lade back, like she didn't really  
care.  
"It's called Glaso, a powerful knife made from old Egyptian spells. With  
just one touch it instantly kills any vampire, sending them to Hell. It  
also makes a really cool burning sensation when it touches them. Makes them  
scream." Smiled Nina.  
"I like it," said Faith, "Can I use it?"  
"Actually no. I created it special so it only works in my hand, and cuts  
off the hand of anyone else that touches it."  
"Sweet," said Faith grabbing a crossbow off the wall, "Ready to go?"  
"Yeah," said Nina, "Let's go."  
They then left the room to go out into the night. They strode through the  
double doors of the library letting them clang shut.  
"Wow," said Xander, "She's really good at the being bad thing."  
"Yeah," said Willow, "That was just a really convincing act right?"  
"Yeah, it's an act," said Spike, "An act that's been going on for years." 


	4. The Plan

So Nina and Faith left, and went out into the night. They had only been out  
for a second when Buffy came running out behind them.  
"Wait," she yelled.  
"What?" asked Nina & Faith turning around.  
"One of Angels friends just called. He found a group of vampires living in  
the old crypt in the West Sunneydale cemetery. He wants us to come take  
care of it."  
"Excuse me," said Faith, "But why should we help you?"  
"No that's great," said Nina, "It's the perfect time to make our entrance  
known."  
"Oh right," smirked Faith. Buffy started off toward the cemetery with the  
rest of the Scooby gang behind her, but Faith and Nina hung back.  
"What do you say we go on ahead?" Asked Nina.  
"OK," said Faith, "But what'll we do when they get there and there's no  
more vampires around."  
"Just tell them we couldn't wait, and that they're all dead."  
"Well at least half of that's not a lie right, we will kill them all?"  
Questioned Faith. "Faith, Faith, Faith, let me ask you something. If we  
want to spark fear in vampires' hearts everywhere, what's a better way?  
Killing them all and hoping our massacre story spreads? Or killing almost  
everyone one, letting one go, and let him warn the rest of his friends of  
the new slayer force in town?"  
"Oh I see," said Faith, "So which one do we leave?"  
"The weakest one there. That way they'll think we left him out of mercy,  
because there is nothing we can't defeat." Explained Nina.  
"Once again I like your thinking," smirked Faith. "Maybe we should join  
forces permanently."  
"Well," answered Nina slowly, "I usually work alone, but in this case,  
I'll make an exception." And they sped off in another direction towards the  
crypt. 


	5. The Crypt

By the pace that Nina and Faith took to the crypt, they probably arrived a  
good 15 min. before Buffy and the Scooby gang. It was almost 11:00 at  
night, pitch black outside. The only reason they could see was because of a  
small glow coming from under the crypt door.  
"They must have a lamp," said Nina, "Hopefully oil."  
"Why oil?" Asked Faith, "What's so great about that?"  
"Because it's easier to burn vampires when there is something to light."  
"Of course," smirked Faith. That has to be Faith's favorite expression,  
thought Nina. Then with one powerful kick from Nina, the crypt door flew  
open. There were about twelve vampires standing there. None of them turned.  
They were deep in an incantation, and if any of them moved, the spell would  
be broken.  
"Wait a second," whispered Faith, "I know that chant. It's used to extract  
a vampire's soul. But who's soul are they trying to take?" And then, Nina  
saw it. Angel's old diary was sitting in the middle of the circle. They  
wanted to take away Angel's soul. One of them had made the call to Angel;  
it was all making sense now. They needed Angel to complete the circle.  
( This is where the story is about to change.(  
Nina all of a sudden realized what had happened, for she was suddenly  
remembering all of this. It was like everything that was happening had  
happened once before. And then a scene flashed in her mind. "Five by Five,"  
answered Faith, and her head fell back. Nina looked back at the diary in  
the middle of the circle. This time Faith wouldn't die. This time it would  
be them against the world, or at least against the Scooby gang and the  
council.  
"You know what they're doing," explained Nina. "That's Angel's diary in the  
center of the circle, they're extracting his soul. I say we let them."  
"I'm with you on that one," said Faith.  
"But we should get front row seats," smiled Nina.  
"Of course," answered Faith, "Over here."  
And there they waited, on a coffin in the darkest corner of the crypt. They  
were there for only 10 minutes, when Angel and Buffy came flying through  
the door. 


	6. The Explanation

It wasn't long before Faith and Nina caught up with him. He was stalking a  
girl, just a little ways down the road. Just as he was about to pounce,  
Nina jumped in front of him.  
"I can't let you do that," she explained, pushing him back with one hand.  
"Why?" He questioned, starting to smile.  
"Because it's wrong," said Faith, coming up behind him.  
"You know," he started, "You ladies are very convincing, with this whole,  
fight for justice act."  
"Act," Nina questioned, starting to smile.  
"Yeah, ya know, it was working right up until Buffy and I entered the  
crypt, and I saw the two of you, sitting in the corner, watching."  
"Oh, well, we were caught Faith!" whimpered Nina, sarcastically.  
"Oh," moaned Faith, "What are you gonna do about it Angel."  
"Well first," he answered, turning around suddenly, "I'd like to thank you  
for rescuing me from my soul, and not stopping them. It'll be so sweet to  
see Buffy fight for me once again. She's so cute when she's upset.  
Secondly, we're gonna have some fun."  
"How about a party," suggested Nina, "We haven't thrown a big party since,  
well, back when I was evil."  
"Good idea," said Angel, "We'll invite all the vampires and demons in  
town."  
"Can we kill some of them," asked Faith.  
"Take as many as you like Faith," explained Angel, "Cause they can't do  
anything about it, can they."  
"Good point," said Nina. "Let's go have a party."  
"Alright," said Angel, "Let's go. Anyone you want to specially invite  
Nina?"  
"Of course," answered Nina, "It's not a party unless Spike is there."  
"There you go again," said Faith, "With the whole, let's screw a vampire  
thing."  
"Hey," objected Nina, "I don't think of Spike as a vampire."  
"Yeah," cut in Angel, "She thinks of him as a way to get off."  
"Hey!" Objected Nina again, this time, slapping Angel on the arm.  
"Ow," He cried.  
"Oh, get over it!" Said Nina.  
And off they went, down the street, striding quickly, and laughing loudly.  
Nina broke off right before they reached the factory.  
"I'm gonna go find Spike."  
"Alright," said Faith.  
"No fooling around before the party," yelled back Angel.  
"Very funny!" Yelled Nina. Then quickly she turned and ran off in Spike's  
direction. She could tell where he was. When they were younger they had  
traded blood. It always gave them a sense of what direction the other one  
was in. She knew he was in the West Sunneydale cemetery, and all she had to  
do was go track him down. 


	7. The Hunt

It wasn't long before she found Spike either.  
"Hey pet," he whispered, coming up behind her as she walked through  
the cemetery, and putting his hands around her waist.  
"Hey," she answered, turning around to face him.  
"So," he questioned, drawing her in ever closer, "Why'd you come  
looking for me?"  
"I needed to ask you something," she murmured, she could barely move  
her lips because she was so close to him now.  
"What was that?" He asked.  
"Well," she started, but without finishing her sentence, she quickly  
threw him aside, and caught an arrow that had been shot at his back. Three  
men walked out from behind the trees, quickly followed by Mr. Travers, and  
his other council officials.  
"Still having fun with vampires?" Questioned Mr. Travers.  
"I am," answered Nina, smirking. "And you?"  
"Well," said a lady from behind him, "We prefer killing, not making  
out with them, as should you."  
"I'm so sorry, but I was never one to follow the crowd," explained  
Nina.  
"We noticed," said Mr. Travers. "But we did not come to ridicule you  
about your choice in men."  
"Oh no," cut in Nina, "You just came to kill them."  
Mr. Travers chuckled.  
"No, we did not. We just wanted to get your attention. We knew you  
would catch the arrow. We came to ask you about Faith."  
"Faith?" Questioned Nina, suddenly she remembered what had happened  
before, she knew where this was leading.  
"We'd be willing to offer you $6 million for her capture or kill.  
What do you say?"  
"I say you're all sick, and there's no way I'm doing that."  
"Spike?" Questioned Mr. Travers.  
"No, I'm with the lady on that one," answered Spike, "I don't kill  
people anymore, remember, I've got that chip in my head. And, I don't fancy  
makin' it hurt for even $6 million. I can always ask Nina for money."  
"Well, if you won't help us," continued Mr. Travers, "We'll just take  
you, get them."  
"Run," whispered Nina. She grabbed Spike's hand and quickly dragged  
him away. They dashed past the graves and into the forest.  
"Quick," explained Nina as they came out the other side, "My mansion  
is just up the street let's go. They don't know it's there, but they'll  
still hunt for us, so we'll have to lay low tonight."  
"Alright," answered Spike, and they drifted quickly through the  
night, to the manor. 


	8. The Party

When they reached the manor, Faith and Angel were already there.  
"Hey, what are you guys doing here," asked Nina, as her and Spike collapsed  
on the couch next to them.  
"We were attacked by some suits," said Angel.  
"Oh, the council," detected Nina, "us too."  
"What are we gonna do," protested Faith. "They're gonna kill us!"  
She was being sarcastic and Nina knew it, but deep down Nina also knew,  
Faith was scared.  
"Really you guys were indestructible. We have the two strongest vampires,  
and two slayers, against the Scooby gang, and the great Buffy. How could we  
lose?"  
"Good point," said Angel.  
"So, if we're indestructible," questioned Faith, "Why don't we throw our  
party anyway. Plus the more people around, the harder it is to catch us."  
"Good point," said Nina. "Reveale."  
About two minutes later, both people and vampires started showing up at  
their door. Nina conjured some music, and their party began. 


	9. The Meeting

Meanwhile, back at the library, the council and the Scooby gang were  
discussing what to do.  
"Can't we just take them out?" asked Xander.  
"I'm afraid not," explained Mr. Travers. "We have only one slayer, while  
they have two and two vampires."  
"Well, really one vampire," said Willow. "Spike can't fight."  
"That's true," remembered Mr. Travers, "But if Nina really has gone bad,  
she has enough power to make him a real vampire again."  
"She always has enough power to kill us all from miles away," explained  
Giles, "but she hasn't, has she. Nina can control the black arts, and any  
other magic. So why hasn't she killed us all yet? I'll tell you why. Nina  
has never liked to kill people, which oppose no threat to her. She doesn't  
think we're a threat, and she's right, we're not, yet."  
"What do you propose we do," asked Mr. Travers.  
"I say we go seek her out," said Buffy. "She wouldn't expect it, and  
neither would the others."  
"But how do we find them?" asked Mr. Travers.  
"They're in the old manor on helms street," said Willow.  
"How do you." started Mr. Travers.  
"Trust me," assured Willow/  
"Well, let's go then," said Giles. And they started off toward the party. 


	10. The Week

"Kiss me," said Nina, pulling Spike closer. They were dancing in the center  
of the floor, with Faith and Angel beside them. The crowd had grown to  
around a hundred, and more were outside the door dancing in the streets.  
"You better hope the neighbors don't complain!" Yelled Faith.  
"There are no neighbors!" Yelled back Nina, pushing Spike back away, and  
continuing to dance.  
BAM!  
All of sudden the doors were open, and a cloud of dust filled the doorway.  
"Buffy," Yelled Faith.  
"Oh great, the hero's here," said Nina.  
"That's right," answered Buffy, "the hero. What were you expecting?"  
"More people," answered Nina truthfully. "I was pretty sure you wouldn't  
come after us until tomorrow. It's not like you to put so many people in so  
much danger."  
"What are you talking about?" Asked Buffy.  
"One little word, for one little spell, will make everyone in this room  
turn against you, and kill you. Didn't you know I was capable of that?"  
"Giles did tell us you were into Wicca."  
"Well, I'm not just into it, I'm the best."  
"Isn't that right Mr. Travers?"  
"It is," he answered, coming forward.  
"Well, now that you've filled us in on something, let me fill you in on the  
reason we're here."  
"Oh wait," stopped Nina, "Let me guess. You came here, not to harm anyone  
else but Faith, am I right?"  
"You are."  
"Well, guess what."  
"You won't let us."  
"Right," answered Nina, "And if you give me 7 days, I'll give you three  
reasons you should not kill Faith."  
"You really think you can do that?" Asked Giles.  
"Yeah," cut in Xander, "You do know it's impossible right?"  
"It's not impossible," answered Nina, "And I'll prove it to you. Give me  
one week."  
"Alright," said Buffy, "One week." 


	11. The Vision

Now, there's not enough time to explain in detail everything Nina had Faith  
do that week. Faith saved both Xander and Willow's lives (after Nina of  
course set up the situation, but no one knew that), helped Buffy beat some  
of the oldest demons they had met so far, and had passed the councils  
tests. Unfortunately, the council didn't find all that Faith did, to be  
enough. In the end they had their meeting. Nina knew there was a meeting  
going on at the library that night, but there wasn't much she could do  
about what they were saying. In fact, she didn't even go because she knew  
the verdict would find her. She was with Spike that night, in his crypt.  
Faith had gone out partying. They were lying on his bed. She had her head  
on his chest and was gradually falling asleep. The second she did, she fell  
into a dream. This is what she saw.  
A vision of the Sunneydale High school library floated into view in  
her head. The Scooby gang was seated at the library table, the council  
members standing at various points around the room. Buffy had always wanted  
to believe Faith could come back to the good side, so she was fighting on  
Faith's side at the moment.  
"Nina showed us that Faith could be caring, smart, and that she could  
work in a team, which are quality's I never knew she possessed. I think she  
deserves another chance!"  
"Well," said Mr. Travers, cutting in, "I don't. Ultimately, Nina  
probably set up all the situations in which Faith succeeded, and therefore  
used her own manipulated situations to show us quality's that she herself  
possesses. None of those things would have been Faith's doings on a normal  
occasion, and they probably never will again. She's just a rebel without a  
cause, and a powerful one at that. She needs to be stopped!"  
A bunch of council members moved and nodded their heads in agreement,  
but Buffy stood up.  
"Once, we were out on the pier fighting, and I was down. In fact, I  
was being dragged across the pier by a rope around my throat. Not only did  
she help me, but slayed the vamp who was attacking me and probably saved my  
life. This was after she was a rebel without a cause. She's also one of the  
strongest people I know. I know she can come back. Nina has already helped  
her so much, I'm sure she could be the one to push her over the line, and  
back on our side. You need to give her another chance."  
By this time Buffy was right up in Mr. Travers face, looking him  
square in the eye. He calmly took a breath, and a step back.  
"As compelling as that speech was, the choice is ultimately mine. And  
not only mine, but also the board of the council. We find her to be too  
much of a liability. We are supposed to be saving innocent people, not  
killing them. That is our, or rather your job description. Faith doesn't  
fight fit the description. So, we say, she dies."  
"No." Buffy started. But at that exact second, someone slid out of  
the shadow at the library doorway and into the light.  
"No, B, you fought enough," said the voice. "If they want me dead,  
they can come and get me."  
Nina woke with a start, as did Spike.  
"Nina, what's wrong?"  
"We have to get to the library."  
"Why?"  
"Faith," explained Nina, climbing off the bed and grabbing her coat  
from the chair. Spike followed suit.  
"Why? What happened? What did you see?"  
"Faith's there now. And the council just decided, that they want her  
dead." 


	12. The Council

"You should know, the only reason I'm risking my life for Faith, is because  
you believe in her, nothing more. It's not like anything happened between  
us that is making me do this," explained Spike as they left the crypt and  
started through the graveyard.  
"Fine," said Nina "but I do know you slept with her."  
"I did not."  
"You did, and you know it Spike. And really, I can't blame you, she's hot."  
"Yeah."  
"But I really don't care why you're helping me help her, as long as you do  
it well. Alright?"  
"Alright."  
As they turned onto the road, they could see someone running toward them.  
"Buffy?" Questioned Nina.  
"Yes, come on, they're going to kill Faith."  
"Why do you care all of a sudden?" Asked Spike.  
"Because I always believed Faith had some good in her, and now that I've  
seen it, I want to keep her around."  
"Fine, but we have to have a plan," started Nina.  
"I do," explained Buffy. "At this moment Faith is taking on the council,  
and they don't trust her, they don't trust you, and they don't trust me.  
That means we have nothing to lose when it comes to them. So we burst in,  
kick their asses, and leave."  
"What about your little groupies, they're not all fans of Faith,"  
remembered Spike.  
"No, they're definitely not. But I can keep them away. I'm prepared to hurt  
them if I have to. We have to keep Faith alive. She deserves a second  
chance at life."  
"I agree," submitted Nina, "but do we have any weapons?"  
"I've got mine," answered Spike.  
"No," stopped Nina suddenly, and turning around to face him commanded very  
seriously, "no one is to die. This is purely a get Faith out only plan. We  
don't need the trouble of death. Plus, they are the council. And like it or  
not, we cannot kill them because without them I wouldn't have gotten this  
far. They are very useful in researching old demons and I have a feeling  
we'll need them in the very near future. So, you even bite anyone in that  
room, and I'll kill you myself."  
"Alright, I get it. Fine."  
"Good, now, what was I saying, oh, weapons?"  
"I don't have any on me," answered Buffy.  
"Me either," said Spike.  
"Fine. In this time of peril, let us not lose and die, give us strength to  
fight our demons, and weapons to stay alive."  
In her hand appeared three swords, stakes, a crossbow, and an ax. She  
passed the weapons out.  
"Alright, everyone ready?" Questioned Nina.  
"Yep," they answered.  
"Let's kick some council ass," said Spike.  
They burst through the school doors and headed toward the library.  
"Be ready to jump in this battle right away," warned Nina.  
The library doors wouldn't open, so Nina and Buffy both stepped back and  
kicked. They flew open to reveal a scene none of them had been ready for.  
Mr. Travers was lying on the floor bleeding, Xander had a cut across his  
head, and Giles was holding his arm.  
"What has gone on here was bad, pain and suffering many had, let my words  
bring hope to them, let the harmful wounds mend," chanted Nina.  
Mr. Travers bleeding stop, and the floor that had been soaked with his  
blood was clean. Xander's head no longer head a slash in it, and Giles arm  
no longer needed support from his other arm.  
"Where's Faith?" Asked Buffy.  
"She said she was going to go murder the one who brought her back,"  
answered Mr. Travers.  
"Who." started Buffy?  
"Me," answered Nina, "She's coming after me." 


	13. The Trust Factor

"That's impossible," cut in Giles. "No one brought her here, she came on  
her own ."  
"That's not what she means," explained Nina.  
"But ." started Giles.  
"I did a spell," continued Nina. "You all don't remember, but, this entire  
day, the whole week in fact, happened before."  
"What?" Questioned Giles.  
"In this week," explained Nina, "I had to kill Faith. I did kill Faith. But  
I felt so horrible about it, that I needed to change things, so I brought  
her back." She looked up at Giles, and seeing the disappointment in his  
eyes, quickly continued.  
"Giles, I know that you don't like it when I change time just to benefit  
myself. I know you always told me I had to learn to live with things, but  
what if I couldn't. What if I saw her face every night in my dreams? What  
if I relived the entire thing about 20 times in my head in one hour? Giles,  
I couldn't take seeing her face every night. I couldn't take waking up in a  
cold sweat, and not being able to go back to sleep. I now know what it was  
like for you," she explained, turning to Angel who had just entered the  
room, "I know what it was like for you to get your soul back. I know what  
it was like to be haunted by spirits of the dead. I couldn't get her out of  
my head. I knew she didn't deserve to die, and now I have the chance to  
change things. I would rather die myself, then let Faith die again."  
"Really," said Faith, walking down the steps of the library, "that can be  
arranged."  
"Faith," jumped Nina "didn't you hear what I said? I don't want you to  
die."  
"But you killed me last time? Why should I believe you now."  
"It was not my choice last time!"  
"You always have a choice! If the council was threatening you, why didn't  
you just blow them off, or better yet, kill them. There was once a time  
when you wouldn't take orders from anyone. When you knew what was right and  
what was wrong, and you fought for what you believed in. What happened to  
that girl?"  
"I thought I was doing the right thing!"  
"What?" Questioned Faith. "How is killing me the right thing?"  
"You seemed so horribly evil last time. It seemed like there was only one  
choice, the right choice, to kill you. And then after I did, I met someone  
that changed my view."  
"Who?"  
"Angel," she explained. "Angel told me what you were like when you first  
came here, you were just like me. You were living it up. You loved being a  
slayer. The only thing was, you had a different reason for loving it. You  
loved the power, as I did, but you thought something else that made it  
worse. You thought that you were better then everyone else. That having  
this power somehow made you better, but it didn't, it doesn't. If you don't  
have people around you like Giles, who always can help you fight and give  
you a good plan, or Willow, who is one of the most powerful witches, or ."  
"They don't help. They're just there. They can't really fight."  
"No, you're right. They can't be with you on the front line punching and  
kicking. But if you're the only one standing there, you have no chance of  
winning. You might be very strong physically Faith, but mentally? You need  
people like Xander, who will always make you feel like you can win, you  
will win, that what you're fighting for is worth fighting for. You need  
people to help you Faith. No one can do this job alone."  
"I can!"  
"No you can't. I know what you've seen out there. All the pain and  
suffering, death and destruction, and I know it's not easy to take. If you  
don't have people around you that will help you deal, you won't deal.  
You'll just move on. And those things that you've seen in the dark, that  
you've talked to, that you screamed at, that you've killed, those will be  
the things that will haunt you there forever. Faith, no one can take this  
job alone. No one can survive on pure power. Eventually you're going to get  
lonely. And eventually, you're going to need a friend."  
"And who's going to be there, you? The only things I can talk to, are the  
things that linger in the dark with me."  
"And what do you think? We're in sunlight all the time. We're right  
alongside you in this fight, but you just won't see us. Faith, we will be  
there. Me, Buffy, Willow, Giles, Xander, Spike, Angel, we're all here. You  
just have to find it within yourself, to talk to us."  
Faith looked around at all the different faces.  
"Return," yelled Nina suddenly, looking toward the sky. Angel fell to the  
floor behind her, and then looked up.  
"Thank you," he said.  
"Well, I couldn't really leave you without a soul, could I?"  
"Faith," questioned Nina turning around, "Do you think you could just  
attempt to trust us. Just give us a chance, please."  
"Alright," said Faith, "I'll let you help me. But don't get to mushy or  
anything."  
"Take it slow," said Buffy walking forward, "got it."  
"Well," said Mr. Travers also coming forward, "now that you've got her  
under control, it's time for us to take her away."  
"No," said Buffy, turning around. "She's made some mistakes I know, but the  
only way for her to fix them is to stay with us here. She's not going with  
you."  
"Try and stop us," he said.  
At that moment, Willow stepped forward.  
"Go back to the mother country," she said, and with a simple way of her  
hand, they were gone.  
"What did you do with them?" Asked Xander.  
"I sent them back to council headquarters," explained Willow. "And put a  
curse on it to lock them in there for a week. You know, give us enough time  
to make a plan."  
"One point for the witch," smiled Faith, "very cool."  
"Thank you," said Willow, smiling back. "Look Faith, I know I have never  
really been nice."  
"Don't sweat it," said Faith, "I think we should all start over, at least  
isn't that what you were hinting at Nina?"  
"It was."  
"So, hi, I'm Faith."  
"Buffy."  
"Xander."  
"Willow."  
"Giles."  
"Spike."  
"Angel."  
"Nina. Welcome to Sunneydale." 


	14. The Death Potion

"What is wrong with you? You're a witch! Why couldn't you take her?" Yelled  
Mr. Travers.  
"She said her spell too quickly sir. I didn't even suspect that would  
happen. No one knew the little witch had that much power!" Yelled back Ms.  
Sylvie.  
"Well since you couldn't fix that, fix this!"  
"Spirit's of the past, don't let us be stuck like fish in a glass, let us  
out, let this be over, let this witches spell be broken!" She looked at the  
door that the rest of the council members were trying to open.  
"She's too powerful, it's a lasting spell. I can't break it."  
"So how long are we trapped in here for?" Snapped Mr. Travers.  
"One week."  
"Well, then we should start preparing the potion now then. That way she'll  
be prepared to kill Faith."  
***  
"So," questioned Faith, "what are we going to do?"  
"About what?" Asked Xander.  
"About the council," answered Faith rolling her eyes. "I mean they're bound  
to fire back right? What's our plan?"  
"We are the plan," answered Nina. Three slayers, two vampires, a witch and  
a warlock against a bunch of British suits! We can take them."  
"You've forgotten one thing though," reminded Giles. "Technically Faith did  
die. That means ."  
"Another slayer's been called," finished Buffy, knowing the plot all to  
well.  
"Right."  
"So, it's one new slayer with no training to speak of, how hard could it  
be?" Questioned Nina.  
"A lot harder then you think," explained Giles. "My guess is that they will  
endow this new slayer with all of their powers. She will probably know  
witchcraft, and she will most likely have a lot of power in that field. She  
will also know exactly how to fight like a slayer although she's never  
trained before."  
"So we all band together and kick her ass," said Xander, "no big."  
"No, they won't let that happen. They'll make sure she goes one on one with  
Faith. And no offense," added Giles, "but with that kind of power, I don't  
think you could take her."  
"No offense taken. It's hard to take a witch. There's only one person for  
the job," agreed Faith,  
"Nina," finished Giles.  
"Me," questioned Nina.  
"Yes you," explained Giles. "You're a powerful witch and an amazing slayer.  
You will have to take her." 


	15. The Return

For the next six days Nina trained relentlessly, first with Giles, then  
Buffy, then Faith, and then Spike and Angel. She took a different person  
each day and learned different tactics from each one. On the final day  
before Willow's spell would lift, Nina met with Willow and Tara.  
"I found some spells that are little, but very useful. They're very  
old, so I doubt the council will even know them. They came from a book that  
was passed down in Tara's family. It was found centuries ago in  
Transylvania. I translated the spells from Transylvanian to Latin, and from  
Latin to English. They are spells mostly, to be used during battle. I put  
all the English versions in this book," explained Willow, picking up a book  
from behind her and handing it to Nina. "The easiest way to learn them all  
is to probably."  
Nina placed the book between her two hands.  
"All that is know within this book, now let fill my head." Her hands  
suddenly glowed blue, then were covered in small printed writing that  
traveled up her arms, her shoulders, her neck, and disappeared as it  
reached her head.  
"That's what I was going to suggest," murmured Willow.  
"Thank you," said Nina, "This will help a lot."  
"Of course," explained Willow, "No problem. Now, Giles called and  
wanted us all to meet at the Magic Box."  
"Let's go then," said Nina.  
****************************************************************************  
*******************  
As they walked into the Magic Box, they saw a scene they did not expect.  
Books and other items were thrown al over the store. Counters were  
overturned, and cases were smashed. In the middle of the mess sat the gang,  
tending to some wounds and hopelessly trying to fix other things.  
"Giles!" cried Nina, carefully running toward them.  
"What happened?" Asked Tara.  
"It seems the council did not waste any time in endowing their slayer  
and bringing it here. She came, and captured Faith."  
"When?" Asked Nina.  
"About fifteen minutes ago."  
"Is anyone hurt? I'm going to need some backup."  
"I'm fine," answered Spike.  
"I'm alright," answered Buffy and Angel as well.  
"Good, then load up. Willow, Tara, I'll probably need your help too.  
Any idea where they took her?"  
"With that kind of magic," explained Giles, "It could be anywhere on  
the earth. Look at what she did to my shop."  
"Order," said Nina waving her hand irritably. The shop was suddenly  
clean; everything fixed and put back in place. "Willow."  
Willow stepped forward, and they placed their hands palm to palm.  
"In the hands of the enemy she lies, bring her placement to our  
eyes," they chanted. They then let go of one hand and seemed to push out to  
one side with it. A map of china appeared in front of them, with a white  
light over mountains near the Yangtze River.  
"Their in a temple on the Yangtze," explained Nina.  
"How do we get there?" Asked Buffy.  
"How else? Magic. Everyone gather in a circle. We'll be back soon  
Giles."  
"Be careful," he urged.  
"Alright," agreed Nina, "To China."  
And the five disappeared.  
****************************************************************************  
*******************  
They appeared in front of the temple not more then a half a second later.  
They were hidden behind some trees luckily, or else the ten or so council  
members that were stationed out front might have seen them.  
"By the look of it, the slayer and Faith are the only two inside,"  
said Willow.  
"Can you guys distract the council?" Asked Nina.  
"Sure," said Buffy.  
"Fight only if you have to," commanded Nina.  
"Alright," said Spike, "Let's go."  
The four slowly walked forward as Nina snuck around the side.  
"Well, look who it is!" Shouted Mr. Travers, who was sitting on the  
steps. He remained seated, but the rest of the council members stood.  
"Oh sit down, reassured Buffy, "We're not here to fight."  
"Then why do you have all those weapons?" Asked one of the men.  
"Well, we thought we'd go camping later," explained Buffy. "You know,  
there's a lot of vicious, dangerous, huge animals out here."  
"Really?" Asked Mr. Travers, "Name one."  
"A." said Buffy, trying to think rather fast. She watched Nina  
quietly climb the temple wall behind Mr. Travers and slip in through a  
window.  
"Yes?" Asked Mr. Travers.  
"A Panda Bear," jumped Buffy. "They may look all cute and cuddly, but  
in real life, they're evil."  
You could tell Mr. Travers was highly amused. "Really?"  
"Yes," answered Buffy, completely serious.  
"Look, all this chat is nice," said Spike, "But we came here for a  
reason, as you probably already know. We want our slayer back."  
"Aren't you Spike?" Asked a woman, "And Angel. You're vampires, why  
aren't you burning? It's broad daylight."  
"N."  
Buffy flashed her eyes at Spike and he quickly realized that even  
saying Nina's name, would make the council realize she was missing from the  
group.  
"Willow did a spell," lied Spike.  
"You're quite the powerful witch," commented Mr. Travers. "You'd make  
quite a good watcher."  
"Really?" Questioned Willow.  
****************************************************************************  
*******************  
Nina quietly made her way through the temple. She moved slowly along  
the walls, hardly daring to breathe. Then she saw her, Faith, lying in the  
middle of the temple on the floor. Nina stared harder, Faith was not  
moving, and her chest, her chest wasn't rising. She was dead, again. Nina  
fell to the floor, tears streaming down her face.  
"All that hard work," she screamed, "for nothing! Why? Why do you do  
this to me? Why am I being punished? What did I ever do to deserve this?"  
"Are you expecting an answer from the gods?" Asked a voice from  
behind her, "Or shall I give you one?" 


	16. The Beginning

"I was waiting for an answer from God, but you'll do for now. So tell me,  
what reason could you possibly have for killing my friend?" Asked Nina.  
The doors of the temple flew open behind them, and council members along  
with Buffy, Willow, Tara, Spike and Angel came storming in.  
"Ms. Hunter," stated Mr. Travers, "If I may ask, what was all that  
screaming about? I expected you to be much more subtle in the attempt of  
killing of our slayer. You completely gave yourself away! Why?"  
Nina had not yet pulled herself together enough to get up, and because of  
that, what still sitting on the floor. She hadn't even looked away from  
Faith to answer the slayer or Mr. Travers. He finally realized she was not  
just avoiding him, and turned to follow her gaze.  
"Oh," he noticed, as he watched Faith's lifeless body.  
"Oh," mocked Nina. "So, you, new slayer girl."  
"Lyra."  
"Lyra, you never explained to me why you killed my friend."  
"Because she is evil."  
"Oh really?"  
"Yes. Our job description is very clear. We kill demons, that's all. Faith  
killed humans, she deserved to die."  
"No," said a familiar voice walking down the temple steps.  
"Giles," jumped Nina, finally looking away from Faith's body.  
"Yes," said Giles, "I'm here." He walked over to Nina and kneeled next to  
her, his back to the council members. "Are you alright?"  
"I'm fine, but Faith..."  
"The first chance you get," said Giles, removing something, a vile, from  
his pocket. "Pour this into her mouth."  
"What?" Questioned Nina. She couldn't believe it. He was actually asking  
her to play with the forces of evil. She stared into his eyes, and saw  
something she had never seen before, a look of pure hatred. "Giles, you  
said I shouldn't play with time, life and death. Those are the three things  
you said to never manipulate."  
"I know, but she did not deserve to die. Every person deserves the chance  
to seek redemption. Faith had her chance stolen from her. I saw you  
together. You were really making a difference with her; I want you to have  
a second chance. I know you too well; you can't win without her alive. I'll  
distract them as best as I can," he whispered. "First chance you get, pour  
it down her throat, got it?"  
"Yes."  
"So, Mr. Travers," said Giles, getting up, and helping Nina up, "I have to  
congratulate you on your work with this new slayer. She killed Faith so  
quickly, we didn't have time to stop her."  
"Yes, she's amazing, isn't she?"  
"Fantastic," added Buffy, realizing what Giles was doing, "But I could take  
her."  
Giles smiled.  
"You could not," explained Lyra. "I have all the council's knowledge, all  
their spells and magical powers. You wouldn't last five seconds."  
"Gee, she's cocky," murmured Spike.  
"Bring it on," invited Buffy, stepping forward.  
While all of this was happening, Nina had slowly made her way over Faith.  
She was unscrewing the cap when Lyra noticed her presence near the body.  
"Hey," called Lyra, "What are you doing?"  
"I'll tell you one thing you can't do Lyra," said Nina, as she tilted back  
Faith's head.  
"What ?"  
"You can't predict the future," explained Nina, pouring the potion into  
Faith's mouth. "Because if you could predict the future," she continued,  
placing the cap back on the bottle, "You would've seen this coming."  
Faith's chest suddenly rose and fell, her eyes blinked open and she sat up.  
"Not possible," murmured Lyra.  
"Not probably," said Nina as she helped Faith up, laughing.  
"You got that from Pirates of the Caribbean didn't you?" Laughed Faith.  
"Yeah," submitted Nina, "I love that movie."  
"You know," continued Faith "I should probably thank you for killing me,  
because now I know what's on the other side, and I'm even less afraid of  
dying."  
"You're so welcome," lied Lyra. "But really, I would think you would be  
more afraid. Being stuck in hell dimension for hundreds of years, and  
you're not afraid?"  
"Show's how much you know," murmured Faith.  
"What are you talking about?" Asked Mr. Travers. "You had to be in hell,  
you couldn't possibly have been in heaven."  
"No, not in heaven," explained Faith, "but not in hell either. Boy, you  
watcher boys sure don't know a lot about other dimensions. I was sent to  
another world, to see all the consequences of my actions. I saw what pain I  
had causes, and it made me really think. So I decided to change, and I am  
going to do my best to stay on the right side of the line from now on."  
"Really?" Questioned Mr. Travers.  
"Yes," continued Faith, "And now that you've heard my little story, can we  
get on with the ass kicking?"  
"I thought you were on a path of redemption?" Questioned Nina.  
"I am, but I'm also on a quest for revenge," explained Faith.  
"So I guess we should start this show," stated Spike.  
"Great idea," agreed Nina. "Ladies and gentlemen, councilmen, slayers,  
vampires, and witches, welcome to the first of probably many fights in the  
system that you will be involved in. To all on the opposing team, I'm so  
sorry. And to all you with me, don't, hold, back." 


	17. The End

It was never really a question whether the council would lose. Three  
slayers to one, is not very good odds. So as you can tell, Nina, Faith and  
Buffy did win, but Lyra was not killed. The council erased her memory and  
sent her back to her family in Beijing, before anyone had a chance to try  
any attempts on her life. Then the rest of their remaining team quickly  
popped back to headquarters in London. Don't take this the wrong way, there  
was a fight, and Nina's side was kicking some serious ass, but the council  
realized what the outcome would be after about 10 minutes, and that's when  
they left. After gather her side back together, Nina magiked everyone back  
to the Magic Box.  
"How was the fight?" Questioned Xander.  
"Well," explained Buffy, "we won, but not cause we killed anyone. There was  
a kind-of, slayer recall."  
"They sent the girl back?" Questioned Anya.  
"Yep," continued Nina, "And erased her memory."  
"Huh," said Xander, "The Superbowl's on."  
"Really?" Asked Nina, "I hope someday I can perform on the Superbowl."  
"If you're as good a singer as you are a slayer, you'll be there," stated  
Angel.  
"Thank you," said Nina, who conjured a TV on the wall of the Magic Box.  
(They were in Buffy's training room.) Everyone but Giles sat down to watch.  
"What's the point of watching a bunch of people knocking each other down?"  
Asked Giles.  
"Come on Giles," explained Buffy, "It's an American tradition. You have to  
embrace these customs."  
"Yeah," added Nina, "You have Rugby, we have football. So sit. I promise  
you'll love it."  
"Or at least the halftime show," said Tara.  
"Yeah," continued Willow, "I here Janet Jackson's supposed to perform."  
Nina suddenly started to laugh.  
"What," asked Giles.  
"Nothing," coughed Nina. "On second thought, maybe you shouldn't embrace  
our customs."  
(Nina has the gift of foresight.) 


End file.
